DENVER -- Kobe Bryant, the All-Star guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, was arrested for investigation of alleged sexual assault over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, the Eagle County Sheriff's Office confirmed Monday.

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A woman went to sheriff's deputies on July 1 and made claims of Bryant's sexual misconduct.

Bryant was not charged. District Attorney Mark Hurlbert said Monday afternoon he had not made a decision on whether to file charges and has to review all the evidence before he can decide on how to proceed.

"This is an ongoing investigation and we want to protect the investigation," Hurlbert told reporters. "Our overriding goal in this is justice -- that's the bottom line."

Hurlbert said he hoped to make a decision on possible charges filed by the end of the week, but it might take longer.

If charges are filed, Bryant is expected to make a court appearance on Aug. 6 in Eagle. If there are no charges, Bryant does not have to return to Colorado.

"Mr. Bryant is innocent and expects to be completely exonerated," Bryant's lawyers, Harold Hadden and Pamela Mackey, said in a public statement.

"Can you imagine being accused of this? It's awful," Mackey said.

The incident allegedly occurred the night before at the Lodge and Spa at Cordillera in Edwards, Colo., near Vail, where Bryant was staying and where the 19-year-old woman worked, 7NEWS reported.

Bryant was at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Vail for arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, his attorney said.

"Upon review of interviews and physical evidence, investigators met with representatives with the District Attorney's Office and concluded they had enough evidence to charge Bryant with felony sexual assault," the sheriff's office said Sunday.

However, Hurlbert said he hasn't decided whether to file charges. He said the sheriff's office asked a judge for an arrest warrant instead of following the usual practice of requesting one through his office.

He emphasized on Monday that what the sheriff's office did was not illegal, and not improper and that he supports the sheriff's decision.

"The bottom line was that the judge, and it was a county clerk judge, looked at the affidavit and found that there was probable cause in this case," Hurlbert said.

"My investigators felt confident that they had enough evidence to seek that paperwork," said Joe Hoy, Eagle County sheriff.

"It's very distressing that the sheriff's office, who is supposed to be conducting the unbiased investigation, ignores what the district attorney says and goes out and gets a warrant," Mackey said. "It's outrageous."

"We are confident that upon the completion of an unbiased investigation, Mr. Bryant will be cleared of any criminal misconduct. The actions of the Sheriff's Office are biased and unfair," the statement said.

During the investigation, Bryant, 24, was cooperative with investigators and remains cooperative with authorities, the Eagle County Sheriff's Office said.

Bryant voluntarily complied with the arrest warrant by turning himself in to the sheriff's office in Eagle on July 4. He was released the same day after posting a $25,000 bond.

The case has since been sealed by a judge so no further information is being released. No mug shot will be released either, said the spokeswoman from the Eagle County Sheriff's Office, who refused to go into details about the case.

Bryant, who helped lead the Lakers to three consecutive National Basketball Association titles, lives in Los Angeles with his wife of three years, Vanessa Laine, and their infant daughter, Natalia.

The allegations are a shock to his teammates and his legions of fans because Bryant has an image as a clean-cut, dignified, NBA celebrity. He has been known to forgo drinking and late-night partying with his colleagues to be with his wife, whom he was engaged to when she was only an 18-year-old high school student. That engagement caused a rift between Bryant and his parents, but Bryant defended his wife, quoting the bible in his public remarks. The rift was later mended after Bryant's first child was born in January.

Bryant wore his hospital ID bracelet in a game the day after his daughter was born.

"I'm excited to play basketball, but to be honest, I really didn't want to leave," he said. "I did not want to take my eyes off her and my wife."

Intelligent -- he speaks fluent Italian and scored 1080 on his SATs -- and blessed with a camera friendly smile, Bryant is frequently seen on television in advertising campaigns. He signed a multi-million dollarx endorsement deal with Nike last month.

"These allegations are completely out of character of the Kobe Bryant we know," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said in a statement. "For the seven years he's been with us, he has been one of the finest young men we've known and a wonderful asset to both our team and our community. However, since this is a legal matter being handled by the authorities in Colorado, we must refrain from further comment at this time."

Since entering the NBA straight from high school at the age of 18, Bryant has drawn comparisons to the league's great players.

Bryant was the NBA's second-leading scorer last season, averaging a career-best 30 points a game. He scored 40 or more points in nine straight games in February. The Lakers eventually lost in the Western Conference semifinals to the San Antonio Spurs.